José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori (September 15, 1830 – 2 July 1915) was the President of Mexico from 1876 to 1880 and from 1884 to 1911, and one of the most controversial figures of the country.

The term Porfiriato refers to the years when Díaz ruled Mexico.

Porfirio Díaz was born on September 15, 1830, in Oaxaca, Mexico to an Indigenous mother and a Criollo father. His father, Jose de la Cruz was a modest innkeeper and died when his son was just an infant.